Do not look at the world as peaceful right now, with most regions appearing tranquil.
Once those four years pass and the curtain rises, things will become very interesting.
However, Locke was neither part of S.H.I.E.L.D. nor the Snake Shield Bureau, and he had no interest in intervening. Compared to worrying about Hydra's grand ambition collapsing halfway through, Locke was more interested in the other piece of intelligence in his hand.
During the Middle Ages, nothing was more famous than the Knights Templar.
But...
There was also the Assassin League, the so-called Brotherhood.
In the long years of struggle, there was no doubt that the one who laughed last was naturally the Knights Templar, who relied on the kingdoms of the time. The Brotherhood was completely broken and disappeared into the currents of history.
Or rather, they were scattered.
But...
A few years ago, with the appearance of a man named Callum Lynch, the Roman Brotherhood rose once again from the ruins. Three years ago, the London assassination incident that shocked the world was allegedly the work of this Callum Lynch.
Supposedly, it was for an object codenamed [Golden Apple]!
Moreover, in Red's files, it appeared that this mysterious organization had also had contact with Callum Lynch three years ago. There seemed to have been a conflict, but the outcome remained unknown.
Locke rubbed his chin, opened his chat software, and messaged Red: [Do you have data on the Golden Apple?]
His eyebrows twitched.
The next second.
With a flick of his right hand, a completely golden, spherical object suddenly appeared in Locke's hand.
Alright.
He lied.
He had indeed swiped something from the interior of the textile mill.
Specifically, this.
This golden orb was something Locke noticed when he opened Sloan's safe. He sensed there was another layer behind the safe, so he simply dismantled it with brute force, and it rolled directly into his hand.
Wealth should not be flaunted.
One cannot simply answer truthfully whenever someone asks.
Please.
He was not a three-year-old child. In this day and age, which adult does not live amidst hypocrisy and lies? There are few people one can truly be open with; whoever takes things at face value will lose.
Locke already knew this shallow truth in his past life.
In this life, he naturally understood it without a teacher.
This was also one of the major reasons Locke went to school.
At the very least, friends found within a school still had a chance to be good friends for a lifetime.
"So this thing is a Golden Apple?"
Locke raised an eyebrow, fiddling with the golden orb in his hand. "It's not scientific; where are the leaves?"
With a hum.
The golden orb in Locke's hand seemed to emit light. Then, with a *shoo*, a golden beam shot out from the orb, and immediately afterward, another [Locke] wearing a suit and tie appeared in the study.
"Here."
Locke did not show a hint of panic. He pushed the liquor on the table in front of [Locke].
[Locke] grabbed it, took a sip, and looked at Locke. "Thanks."
The corners of Locke's mouth turned up. He directly started a double act, controlling this clone created through the Golden Apple to talk and drink with himself.
It had to be said.
Having someone to talk and drink with was different. Before long, the remaining half bottle of bourbon was finished off by the two Lockes.
But in reality, it was still just Locke drinking it alone.
This clone was a static clone. It looked exactly like the real thing, but in reality, if Locke did not control him, he would not move.
Even...
Locke could feel that this clone was continuously drawing from the boundless energy within his sea of consciousness.
If his energy were not boundless, Locke could sense that in just ten seconds, his sea of consciousness would be sucked dry.
It seemed that the golden orb could only be activated by relying on his energy.
At the very least, before Locke drew the Supreme Talent Extraordinary, he had fiddled with this golden orb, and at that time, it had shown no reaction whatsoever.
After Locke finished playing with it, he put the clone away.
Although he could feel that his energy was boundless and could support the clone's existence, he also felt that if used for a long time, his energy was not truly boundless in the literal sense.
Uh...
It felt somewhat like that sensation of release when reaching the peak of pleasure.
And it was continuous.
After slaughtering the textile mill, Locke had originally planned to find an appraiser to value this Golden Apple, intending to put it up for auction on the underground black market.
After all, Locke did not know how to use this thing.
But after drawing the Level 1 Supreme Talent Extraordinary, Locke was pondering how to use this talent.
For instance, transitioning into a Mage or something.
But.
Locke could feel that he had boundless energy, but no matter how he tried to probe it, that energy remained completely indifferent.
It gave Locke one feeling.
He had an inexhaustible gold mine, but except for using the Golden Apple to extract the gold, nothing else could take it out.
Until Locke took the Golden Apple out to fiddle with it.
The anomaly occurred.
Initially, when that clone popped out, it nearly gave Locke a fright, but now, Locke was used to it.
This might become one of his trump cards.
Another trump card added.
Not bad.
Just then.
Red's summary of information regarding the Golden Apple was sent over.
Only...
The more he looked.
Locke felt it was all a bit magical, and then he felt a sense of deja vu.
[The Golden Apple, also known as the Fruit of Eden or the Forbidden Fruit, is rumored to be a weapon of great power.]
[But it requires the user to pay the price of their own life.]
[There are six Golden Apples in total!]
[Apples number one through three are rumored to possess special abilities to create illusions and control the human mind. The first Golden Apple was originally owned by Adam and Eve, then passed to Abel, then reached Cain...]
[The second Golden Apple belonged to the Bloody Queen, Elizabeth I...]
[...]
[Among them, Golden Apples number four and five possess the ability to bring technology beyond the era through life sacrifice. It is said that the notorious German Fuhrer had one, but while experimenting with the Tesseract, it was destroyed by the Tesseract, indirectly leading to the reversal of the scales of war...]
"...Good grief."
Locke opened the software and composed a text message to Red: [You even know about the Tesseract??]
*Ding-dong!*
Red quickly sent a message: [Who doesn't know? How long has the dark world been looking for the Tesseract? But I heard it fell into the hands of the five major powers. As for exactly where, the inquiry is ongoing. How about it, interested in taking the contract?]
Locke's mouth twitched. He composed a message: [The price of the Tesseract is something you truly cannot afford. However, if I am interested and obtain it in the future, I can let you see it. I'll help you suppress the fortune of your status as the number one intelligence dealer in the dark world.]
Red: [...]
***
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